MP3: Dr. Dog – “Nobody Knows Who You Are”

Few bands inspire as much good feeling as Philadelphia’s Dr. Dog. The psych-rock band released its fifth album, Shame, Shame — and its first since singing with ANTI- Records — earlier this year to critical acclaim. Thanks to high-powered ditties like “Shadow People” and “Later,” Shame, Shame is a lean and assured collection of catchy, melodic tunes that cements Dr. Dog’s status as one of indie rock’s most beloved acts. The album has just been re-released in a special edition that includes four new tracks.

Dr. Dog have been supporting the album with some extensive touring that has them traipsing across the country through February. Lucky for San Diego, that tour includes a stop at the Belly Up on November 6. In anticipation of the show, keyboardist Zach Miller was kind enough to share some of his influences with us. His Poetic Memory, the new video for “Shadow People,” and the rest of Dr. Dog’s tour dates are below.

Flea Master Sessions DVD (hosted by River Phoenix): Sometimes when you jam spontaneously it’s going to be an amazing cosmic beautiful liquid comet with funk warts falling from heaven and sometimes you could have a head like a stale marshmallow that somebody left out that never even made it to a stick to be roasted in a barbecue.

Radica Golden Tee Home Edition video game console: The only video game you really need.

Maté Man, our trusty Yerba Maté cooler: Scott [McMicken] makes a fresh batch every day and strains it with a window screen into the cooler.

Excavated Shellac: An incredibly well researched and always reliable source of mind-blowingly awesome unreleased international 78s. Each song he posts offers a small window into the strange and fascinating world inhabited by the performers etched on these fragile discs. The sides he posts are so evocative of a time and a style and a lifestyle it’s easy to close your eyes and float away. Yet the music itself is never quaint or novel; these musicians are masters of their craft and perform with confidence and passion. Maybe try out “Occhi di Bambola” by Giovanni Vicari or “Angel Mio” by Conjuncto Medrano, but don’t stop there!

Floating Action: We’ve said it once and I’ll reiterate: Floating Action is one of the best bands out there right now, and it’s a crime that they aren’t more well-known. It’s Seth Kauffman’s band and he writes and records himself the majority of the time. His songs are timeless, effortless and instantly memorable. His production is interesting and well executed and never overplayed. He is the coolest guy on earth and you should do yourself a solid and buy all of his music right now.

Mavis Staples live performance: In a time when every living legend seems to think they need to have a huge band with multiple guitarists strumming along to fill out their sound, here comes Mavis Staples with a three-piece band and three backup singers that put them all to shame. It was a true novelty to see ONE guitarist solidly nailing it as the only chordal instrument onstage. The songs had space to breathe but it never felt like anything was lacking either. I had genuine tears flowing during “The Weight.” Incredible. (Mavis Staples will play the Belly Up on November 4).

Harper’s Weekly Review: It’s always full of interesting, ironically sequenced stories — an easy way to get a hot news injection while we’re tour.

New York Times Sunday Crossword: Always a hot ticket in our party. Toby [Leaman] grabs them every week and I’ve been getting back into the habit of doing them. They’re very satisfying.

Dr. Dog tour dates
11/4 – The Filmore – San Francisco, CA
11/5 – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA
11/6 – Belly Up – San Diego, CA
11/8 – Orpheum Theater – Flagstaff, AZ
11/9 – Sunshine Theater – Albuquerque, NM
11/10 – ACM – Oklahoma City, OK
11/11 – Palladium Showroom – Dallas, TX
11/12 – Stubbs BBQ – Austin, TX
11/13 – Warehouse Live – Houston, TX
1/28 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC
1/29 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC
1/31 – Bijou Theatre – Knoxville, TN
2/1 – Minglewood Hall – Memphis, TN
2/3 – Music Farm – Charleston, SC
2/4 – Variety – Atlanta, GA
2/5 – Cannery – Nashville, TN
2/7 – WorkPlay – Birmingham, AL
2/8 – Orange Peel – Asheville, NC
2/9 – Jefferson Theatre – Charlottesville, VA
2/11 – Electric Factory – Philadelphia, PA
2/15 – Higher Ground – Burlington, VT
2/16 – TBA – Rochester, NY
2/17 – Mr. Small’s – Pittsburgh, PA
2/18 – Terminal 5 – New York, NY
2/19 – Paradise – Boston, MA